PHOTO VIA Sue Weiskopf-Larson

Weiskopf-Larson biking in the second portion of the Ironwoman.

The summer of 1982 might not have been a significant year for everyone, but it was for Sue Weiskopf-Larson, a Mounds View alum who graduated in 1983. That summer, she decided that if she were able to run 10 miles, she would join the Mounds View Cross Country team. The day before her senior year started, Weiskopf-Larson reached her goal, and after joining the team, she would find her lifelong passion for endurance sports. “[Joining cross country] absolutely, absolutely changed my life,” said Weiskopf-Larson. 

The October after graduating high school, she ran her first marathon. “Long distance has always intrigued me, so as soon as I had the opportunity, I thought, ‘Yeah, do a marathon,’ and as soon as I ever had the opportunity to do longer distances, I’ve done that,” Weiskopf-Larson said. Since then, she has run over 50 marathons. 

Her love for marathons eventually led her to train for a triathlon — a race consisting of cycling, running, and swimming. While she had to increase her total training volume, Weiskopf-Larson was able to avoid injuries during her triathlon training because she was not constantly pounding from running. “I really have not been injured since I started doing triathlons because I don’t run every day,” said Weiskopf Larson. “I’ll do a short run following a three-hour bike. Mixing it up and doing that cross training has really helped me to not get injured.” She ran her first triathlon, the Buffalo Sprint, in 2003 and has not stopped since.

The next step for Weiskopf-Larson was the Ironman race, a long distance triathlon consisting of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bicycle ride and a 26.2-mile run. After being persuaded by her friend, who had competed in Ironmans in the past, she finally had the push she needed. In 2005, Weiskopf-Larson competed at the Wisconsin Ironman “He was talking about it, and he planted that seed and, I couldn’t ignore that seed. That’s all I thought about for, like, the next three months, I’m like, I have to do one,” said Weiskopf-Larson. 

Now, Weiskopf-Larson’s ultimate goal is to become the oldest woman to run in an Ironman. The current record holder is Madonna Buder at 82 years old. “I saw [Buder] race in the same race that I did. And it’s something I think I can do. And most people that know me say, ‘If anyone can do it, you can do it,’” said Weiskopf-Larson. “I’m 59 but I do not feel a day older than when I was 20, honestly. People are like, ‘You do so. You have aches and pains.’ I don’t. I don’t know if it’s because of my training or I just have good genes, or I’m lucky, but I don’t feel the impact of age at all yet.” 

In order to properly compete in an Ironman, Weiskopf-Larson trains daily, sometimes doing two workouts a day. While she has a different plan each day, she makes sure to swim, bike or run for several hours. Her peak training consists of 400-mile bike rides and 300- to 420-mile runs combined six weeks before competition. 

Despite the extreme physical needs of an Ironman, Weiskopf-Larson continues to put her all into setting the record for the oldest woman to compete in an Ironman.  “I have no intention of stopping. I love everything about it.”